Early Birds

Early Birds - watercolour -SOLD

I painted this watercolour a few years ago, shortly after we had moved to the countryside north of Kingston, and I spent a lot of time looking at the atmospheric conditions of the landscapes around me. It sold this week; nice to find a home for an 'old friend'. It's been a long while since I worked in mainly watercolours; I got interested in working in oils and then kind of never went back to them. I think this happens to lots of artists over time.  The whole idea is to keep a 'flow' going while working, and that becomes hard while jumping back and forth using different mediums, I find it easier to stick with one.  So that's why I dont do watercolours much anymore.

Enjoyed a wonderful week with Rachel & Ella home this week; brunch downtown and picnic in the park. Here we are having brunch at Pan Chancho on Wednesday morning.

Sunny Market Day

Sunny Market Day - 6x8 inch
oil on panel -click here to purchase

Light falling on form is just about my most favourite subject to paint.  I get caught up in the shapes and tones of what's going on, that half the time I dont really pay much attention to exactly what it is I'm painting. A black and white photograph of a sunny day at the Kingston market, and I zoomed in on one little corner...where the light was playing on the activity.  the resource I was working from was only 1.5 x 2 inches...so I took liberties with the people and shadows. 

Being over 50 and grateful

Morning Pasture - oil on panel
6x9" click here to purchase

I loved the sentiments about gratefulness that Deanne Fitzpatrick chats about in her 'coffee with Deanne' clip that popped into my inbox today.(it's below)  I really identified. Now that I'm (eek!) nearly 59, I too, reflect on good things that I was too busy and too hurried to appreciate when I was younger.  Deanne is a Nova Scotia'n rug hooker.  Her delightful designs inspire me, even though I've never hooked rugs, so I signed up for her email updates.  I'm glad I did. I know I like her, and yet I've never met her.  Funny how that happens, call it the power of technology. I did buy a rug hooking tool and some burlap when i went to PEI with my friend Sherry to paint a few years back.  We had seen a terrific exhibition of rug hookers in a gallery in Summerside, and I got excited and bought the stuff needed to get started, but alas....never got around to it!  BUT, I'm not dead yet,  so I believe it will happen.

Time seems to be whizzing by lately. Painting time has been very sparse this month.  We are getting ready to put our house up for sale, so my head space for painting just isn't the same as usual.  I know it will come back when the dust settles.  Not painting for a while is not the end of the world.  I could stress about it, BUT I'm working instead on being grateful for all the good things in my life. Not hard really... my little grandaughter Ella is coming for a visit next week. Whoopee!

Saatchi for artists and Art by the Lake Westport

Any artists out there use the Saatchi online gallery to market their art? If any of you do I'd love to hear about your experience.  I've been considering whether or not to join.  

Wetland, Natural Order 2 - oil on canvas - 48 x 30"

One of my Wetland series got a make-over this week. I wanted more texture and in the process, I pretty much changed the color palette from pinks to cool greens. Which is okay. It's the old thing:  "When is a work finished?" and my answer to that is "When I find my harmony with it".  It doesn't matter to me if it goes through several evolutions.  Work evolves.  It will  be in the opening exhibition reception for the Art by the Lake Westport on Friday July 3, along with another work Winter Light with Tulips. 

Winter Light With Tulips - 30 x 30

The Art by the Lake Westport outdoor art show will take place on Saturday July 4th,  10am -4pm  in white artisan tents on the grounds of Sand Lake.  It's open to the public and there will be 19 exhibiting artists.  It's the first year for this show, which plans to become an annual event for the Westport area.  I'm looking forward to it, please come out and enjoy the show.

Art by the Lake Westport is at Sand Lake

Here is a little map of the area, I copied from google but it didn't come out very well. (Maybe if you click on it will view larger so you can read it better) I drew on the blue dotted line to show the way to the show.

working quickly to find a rhythm

work in progress - oil on panel

Started two small paintings today;  this is one of them. It's from a boat trip I took in the Thousand Islands while at my friend Sherry's cottage.  I'm sure this island has a name but I dont know what it is.  I remember jumping off big rocks like these into the water when I was a kid at my friends cottage. We had a tire on a rope that would swing out over the water. what fun it was.

I like flat brushes best. My favorite for small paintings is a # 6 flat.  I used an angled flat # 10 for the big flat areas before switching to #6. It took me about an hour and a half to get to this stage.  I block in and put the first paint application on quickly. Working quickly, intuition kicks in, which prevents over-thinking, somehow giving me a fresher look.  All this, gets me into a rhythm which I find peaceful.   I rarely can finish a painting in one sitting. I need space and distance from it to know when it's done.
 

Greener Pastures 3

Greener Pastures 3-
oil on panel- 6 x 9 inch
click here to purchase

When I'm driving along in my car, noticing the landscape rolling by my window, and especially the atmosphere of the day; I try to notice what I notice.  It's something that artists need to pay attention to...the things that make you look, the subjects that speak to you and your heart.  I have noticed that whenever I pass by cows or sheep in a field I look longingly at them. I kind of wonder  why they draw my eye more than other things. Maybe I was a shepherd in a past life?! ha ha. Anyway, I think there is something inherently peaceful about them, probably that's what speaks to me.  I enjoy trying to capture that feeling, and have done many paintings with sheep and cows.  This little one developed last week; I tweaked it yesterday.